Fertility Preservation | Singapore General Hospital

Patients may become infertile due to certain, medical conditions such as cancer, or as a result of the treatment rendered such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. We offer services that provide options to preserve fertility for both men and women.

Fertility Preservation Options for Men

Autologous semen storage

Autologous semen storage is an option to preserve male fertility, by freezing and storing semen for future use. About 50% of the sperm will survive after thawing and chances for a successful pregnancy is approximately 10% - 30% depending on the future wife’s age and egg count.

[PDF] Autologous Sperm Storage for Fertility Sperm Storage

[PDF] Surgical Sperm Retrieval

Fertility Preservation Options for Women

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) to Preserve Embryos (Embryo cryopreservation)

IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) is a process where eggs are fertilised by sperm in a laboratory setting. The resulting embryos can be frozen for future use.

Oocyte Cryopreservation (Egg Freezing)

Oocyte cryopreservation involves freezing unfertilised eggs. This procedure shares similar processes and risks with IVF, but preserves eggs rather than embryos.

Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation oers hope for future pregnancies by freezing ovarian tissue for those at risk. This is suitable for young female cancer patients below age 40 prior to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

How is it done?

The ovary is harvested by keyhole surgery under anaesthesia.
The outer layer of the ovary (ovarian tissue) containing immature eggs is dissected and cut into strips.
The ovarian tissue is cryopreserved and kept at -196 degree celcius where the low temperature allows it to be viable for years.
You will need a repeat surgery to re-implant the tissue in you.

Ovarian Suppression with Hormonal Injection

Ongoing research explores the use of hormonal treatments to protect ovaries during chemotherapy. These treatments temporarily suppress ovarian function through monthly injections administered throughout the chemotherapy course.

More information about female fertility preservation here:
[PDF] Female Cryopreservation